Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out is for me to say…
"Early voting is underway for all registered voters. Vote in-person or request a ballot by mail. Register to vote by October 13. Visit elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms"
*
The city of Charlottesville has now had almost as many COVID cases as Albemarle County, despite the latter having twice the population. According to data from the Virginia Department of Health posted this morning, Charlottesville added 16 new cases for a total of 1,380 to date, whereas Albemarle added 15 new cases for a total of 1,383.
Since August 29, Charlottesville has had 758 residents test positive for COVID-19 whereas Albemarle has added 366. Up to that date, Albemarle had 1,022 cases and Charlottesville had 648 cases.
The rise in cases is believed to be attributed to the return of students to the University of Virginia. UVa began virtual instruction shortly after the pandemic and students were sent home after spring break, but many began to come back to apartments in early August. The return of students who live off campus to Charlottesville was one reason cited by administration officials for beginning in-person classes.
“The vast majority of our students will be here in Charlottesville, living in private houses and apartments, regardless of whether classes are all online or not,” wrote President Jim Ryan in an August 28 announcement that classes could meet in-person. “By welcoming our students into classrooms and on Grounds – with adequate testing, rules about gatherings and mask-wearing, and enforcement – we will be in a better position to monitor what’s happening and to contain any outbreaks.”
UVA has not updated their official COVID tracker since Friday afternoon, when they reported 270 active cases, as defined as someone with a positive test result in the past ten days. Of that number, 252 are students. Other information on the website is likely out of date by now.
Statewide, there are another 687 new cases of COVID today, and a total of 42 new cases in the Thomas Jefferson Health District. To date, Fluvanna County has had 384 cases, Greene has had 239 cases, Louisa has had 312 and Nelson has had 110 cases. The seven-day average for positive tests statewide is at 4.8 percent for the second straight day. The figure is 5.2 percent in the Thomas Jefferson Health District for the second straight day.
*
Five of the eight Republican challengers running for U.S. House seats in Virginia have not disclosed financial assets on forms required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
One of three Democratic challengers has also not disclosed their assets on the form according to information retrieved from the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Candidates are required to file the disclosure forms once their campaign has raised more than $5,000.
Three of the Republicans filed the required documents, but did not disclose any assets. That includes 5th District challenger Bob Good who lists salary and liabilities information, but lists no assets. His Democratic challenger Cameron Webb did list assets, including retirement and savings accounts.
Third District Republican John Collick, 4th District Republican Leon Benjamin and 1st District Democrat Qasim Rashid also filed forms but listed no assets. There are no online records of either Second District Republican Scott Taylor or 11th District Republican Manga Anantatmula submitting the form.
Incumbent members of Congress are required to file periodic reports on their financial transactions. Read previous coverage of this topic on CBS19 and on the Rappahannock News.
In all, Virginia has eleven districts and ten of them are contested this year. Only the 5th District race is a contest between two newcomers, as incumbent Denver Riggleman was not renominated for a second term by his party.
*
Former City Councilor John Conover has died, according to reports on social media. Conover was elected in 1980 and served one term during a time when Albemarle and Charlottesville entered into a revenue-sharing agreement to prevent further annexation of land by the city. Conover was an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center who was also an elected member of the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District.
*
Today in meetings, the Albemarle Architectural Review Board reviews a new three-story building including a coffee shop on U.S. 250 east of Exit 124, as well as an updated design for a redesign of the Albemarle Square Shopping Center for a new Aldi.
Charlottesville City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. and has a public hearing on how to spend $4.1 million in a second round of CARES Act funding. There’s also a review of the Home to Hope initiative, a project to help people released from prison reenter society. The Louisa County Board of Supervisors meets at 5 p.m. For more information, check out this week’s Week Ahead newsletter on local government meetings.
Interested in learning more about our feathered friends? At 3 p.m., Schuyer Lawson will lead a discussion at the Center on what equipment you need to become a birdwatcher and what science citizens can contribute to the field. Lawson is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Public Health at the University of Buffalo. Visit the Center’s website to register.
October 5, 2020: Charlottesville has doubled COVID cases since September 1